


the demonic goatman's bridge

by roseticos



Series: don't tell me how to live my afterlife! [3]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: /heavily/ based on the goatman episode, Based On Buzzfeed Unsolved, Boogara!Jeongin, Demon!Changbin, Drowning, Gen, Hyunjin POV, Mentioned Kim Woojin, Past Character Death, Shaniac!Seungmin, Yikes, but it works?, ghost!hyunjin, it's a strange combo of jeongmin's crack dialogue and Angsty hyunjin, lapslock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-06-27 14:10:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19792513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roseticos/pseuds/roseticos
Summary: hyunjin is dead. he has been for a long time now. it doesn’t matter how or why but if it matters to you then all hyunjin will tell you is that the river is a bitch and doesn’t deserve his life.when he was alive, hyunjin didn’t believe in ghosts. he doesn’t think like that anymore.-seungmin and jeongin look for a goat demon on the same bridge that hyunjin haunts.





	the demonic goatman's bridge

**Author's Note:**

> (many) of the quotes are from the [iconic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEZfGlyLQnA&t=409s) buzzfeed unsolved: supernatural episode of which this fic is named. this might make more sense with the context. 
> 
> also! pls call me out on typos and confusing things bc i didn't proofread very much.

it’s a funny thing, really. 

hyunjin isn’t sure how it came about. he’s been on this bridge for more than twenty years, seen it through thick and thin, through poorly done satanic rituals and drunk teenagers and everything in between. 

at some point the living people came less and less for the antique novelty and more and more for some kind of “goat demon.” as stories were passed around, paranoid drunkards in the woods trying to make something out of their hallucinations, people started believing things that just aren’t true. 

there’s no “goat demon.” changbin isn’t a goat in the slightest and hyunjin is disappointed in the living for ever calling him that. there are goats in the woods and there’s one residential demon but there’s no kind of combination of the two.

changbin doesn’t even visit that often. he’s often traveling to the nearby cities, latching to those passing by, but he enjoys his vacation and takes them long. he says it’s because the humans are frustrating but hyunjin wants to believe that it’s to keep him company.

the only reason hyunjin really knows how much time has passed is because changbin can tell easily. hyunjin is dead— not a demon (there’s a distinction)— and because the bridge likes to keep him near he can’t see the city or how things have changed. 

over the years, the bridge has changed. the cars stopped coming entirely and the brush grew closer, the woods wilder. but it’s still the same old bridge and it’s suffocating to be by.

hyunjin is dead. he has been for a long time now. it doesn’t matter how or why but if it matters to you then all hyunjin will tell you is that the river is a bitch and doesn’t deserve his life.

when he was alive, hyunjin didn’t believe in ghosts. he doesn’t think like that anymore.

it’s lonely stuff, being dead. unless you’re attached to a house or a piece of land where you can suffer eternally with a bunch of other souls too, it’s a lot of milling around in the dark; sitting, waiting, hoping that someone alive or dead will come around. 

where hyunjin stays, it’s not very busy. there aren’t any other ghosts, that or they moved on, and although changbin is company he is bitter and quiet. 

the living are interesting, at least. a lot of the nutcases come out here at night, either looking for a goat demon or doing some cult ritual that’s more of changbin’s thing than hyunjin’s. 

in fact, hyunjin is keen to avoiding the woods because of this. sometimes the demon comes back with blood on his hands, but he never says why.

“those fuckers are at it again,” changbin growls one night, leaning against the metal railing with his arms crossed, hyunjin sitting at his feet to dangle his legs over the side. 

“how can you tell?” he says, voice rough and quiet. the ghost looks up at him, away from the currents roaring his name.

pissed, the demon glares at the tree line across the bridge. “they’re doing it wrong.”

suddenly hyunjin’s own senses heighten and both entities whip their heads to the nearest edge of the wood and the snapping of twigs. hyunjin’s vision vision goes black for an instant and when it refocuses they’re both standing at the opposite end of the bridge, watching two people emerge from the trail.

“hey, it’s the bridge,” one says.

“yeah, i can see that.”

changbin grabs hyunjin’s hand, a protective gesture that the younger isn’t used to seeing from him. he feels hot and cold at the same time, but he’d be insane to protest against him.

the two boys at the edge of the bridge shine their flashlights on the historical sign for the bridge. “there it is,” the other resigns, obviously fearful of what lies ahead of them.

they step on one after another, walking further until they’ve reached the center. 

the scared boy has matted brown hair, thin-framed glasses, and a huge beige t-shirt, a small camera strapped to his chest and regret written all over his face. around his waist is a kind of holster with… a water gun?

the more confident of them has neat, red hair and a blue sweater. he also wears a camera on his chest, but he’s smirking. 

“there are a lot of shitty things that have happened to people around here,” the first one states matter-of-factly. “and i guess since we’re on this bridge, i should tell you why this bridge is what it is.”

_what it is._

hyunjin can see that they’re demon hunters, looking for some proof of a demonic goat creature or something like that. it makes his skin crawl. there’s nothing really here. except maybe changbin.

a long moment of silence passes between the pair before the red-haired boy deadpans, “tell me.”

“can you even look just a little bit worried? or do you have to— nevermind, don’t do that.”

“do you even like standing on this bridge?”

he laughs, tense, “no, i don’t like it, so if we could just get it over with—“

“you’ve got a glazed look in your eyes.”

“yeah, i’m fuckin’ nervous, man,” he raises his voice. “i feel like i’m gonna vomit!” 

the boy with red hair laughs at him, but the other is clearly irked and terrified. hyunjin thinks it’s kind of funny. at least they’re entertaining; they don’t take this as seriously as some of the others do, and hyunjin can appreciate that.

changbin has a little more trouble with this concept and just seems more annoyed by their added presence. it’s usually quiet when the demon is around, but he’s not so lucky this time.

looking around the bridge, eyes scanning over the end where both entities stand invisible to their gazes, the boy with red hair nudges the other beside him. “you know what, jeongin? i’m not trying to scare you, but i got a bad feeling about this one.”

“shut up, seungmin.”

seungmin sighs, “i do.”

“it’s okay, i came prepared.” jeongin pats his holster pocket, changbin’s attention immediately drawn to the bright blue ‘pistol’.

seungmin shines his flashlight on the pocket, restraining a laugh. “oh, ‘innie. you’ve outdone yourself.”

very proud of himself, he pats the holster. hyunjin doesn’t understand what’s going on. “you know, i thought this was gonna be funny, but now i’m actually happy that i have it. it’s holy water inside, i got it blessed by a church—“

cangbin cusses, pulling hyunjin even further back and off the bridge entirely.

“i assumed it was holy water,” seungmin comments. 

“if a demon sneaks up on me i could just—“ he whips out the gun, pointing it at seungmin and subsequently the end of the bridge where the other two are standing— “ _‘don’t try it demon!’_ ”

as if he had pointed intentionally at changbin, the demon screeches and falls back in fear, even though the pair are at least twenty feet away and the water gun probably can’t cover five. 

once he realizes this, changbin gets back on his feet, a low sound emanating from the back of his throat, and hyunjin dares to place his hand on his chest to keep him from ripping apart the boys then and there.

jeongin eventually begins talking about the bridge and how it apparently has the nickname of _goatman’s bridge,_ something that sounds familiar but not something hyunjin actively kept track of. according to the living boy, bridges have been shown to be ‘gateways to another realm’ in several legends, but hyunjin’s never heard of that before.

is that why he’s here?

as he goes on about ‘dark entities’ and demon goats, changbin leans against the rail of the bridge, pretending to not care and looking at his nails like he’s heard the story a thousand times, which he probably has. 

sort of interested in this different experience, hyunjin does pay attention, even if the theories are kind of whack.

jeongin holds his flashlight under his face, giving off an immature, spooky effect to his storytelling. “one common story is that satanists have carried out rituals on the bridge that opened the door for this goat demon and maybe others, too.”

changbin scoffs. “at least he got one thing right.”

changbin has been on earth far longer than the bridge has even existed, the rituals in no way affecting how he got here, but there’s no denying that the rituals _did_ happen in the past. hyunjin has witnessed a couple himself, and they didn’t always affect him directly, but they made him feel a little less fuzzy than he’s supposed to.

it always frustrates changbin, bothered by it the most seeing as he’s an _actual_ demon. his personal view is that humans are pitiful and don’t deserve his contact, especially since they don’t know how to _properly_ summon demons and that their rituals only half work. 

jeongin lowers his flashlight, pausing from his (definitely memorized) narration. “there are like… records of people practicing rituals in this forest and on the bridge.”

“yes, people like you,” seungmin says, completely straight-faced. changbin laughs.

jeongin narrows his eyes and immediately begins to defend himself. hyunjin doubts that he ever really has performed a satanic ritual, but he’s seen too many to be sure. “how am i the same as a satanist?” 

“you believe everything they believe,” seungmin points out.

“yeah, but i respect it, i stay away from it.”

“eh,” he shrugs. “two sides of the same coin.”

“sure— you just gotta decide which side you’re on.”

seungmin immediately protests against this, shaking his head. “i am a whole other coin, here.”

“oh yeah? which coin would that be?”

“just a… a chill-ass wheat back penny, or something.”

“fuck you, dude.”

seungmin doesn’t hesitate to imitate him in an obnoxious voice, jeongin continuing with his theories despite his friend teasing him. 

his second goatman story is about a goat farmer who may have died on the bridge, but it’s deemed impossible due to historical records and the fact that people can’t ‘come back’ as demons since they are not human. at this, changbin decides he’s not angry at them and glances at hyunjin.

“‘jinnie, i love you, but i’d rather check on those cultists than listen to their bullshit. scream if they do something stupid.” and with that, he disappears, leaving hyunjin alone with the two demon hunters. 

“do you think father woojin ever watches these videos and is disappointed in you?” seungmin prompts the other, speaking of several things that hyunjin knows nothing about. father woojin must be a friend of theres, but he doesn’t know what to make of _‘these videos’_. 

do they show father woojin the footage from their cameras? if he would be disappointed, why would they show him at all? or has something else happened, technology advancing past what hyunjin knew when he was alive?

“probably,” jeongin decides quickly. “i… kind of disobeyed him in terms of communicating with ghosts, spirits, and entities, but i’m doing it for the betterment of the science.” 

_there’s a science to this whole thing?_ hyunjin wonders, stepping onto the wood and hoping he isn’t strong enough to make a noise. if he does, neither of them notice it. 

if there really is a science to this, he would gladly volunteer if it means he is allowed to move on. hyunjin doesn’t care what changbin says— this bridge feels like an alternate hell, trapping him where he died and drawing him closer to the river every night. it’s lonely. it’s cold. he wants to _leave._

“you ever going to visit him again and show him what you’ve done visiting all these haunted places?” seungmin asks, a teasing lilt in his tone.

jeongin’s fear has diminished some. that, or his smile is out of fear. “yeah. for instance, if something happens to me tonight, i’ll go back to him to get a blessing. to cleanse myself.”

then seungmin says what changbin would if he were still around, “oh, you’re gonna need to cleanse yourself.”

jeongin clarifies that their purpose is not to discover the origins of the supposed goat demon, but to make contact and hopefully capture evidence of its existence. 

nothing new, hyunjin thinks; at least they’re humorous to watch. they won’t get the contact they’re looking for, considering the entity doesn’t exist and even changbin won’t bother with interacting with them in a way that they’ll want (that, or hyunjin won’t let him). 

with their purpose stated, the two look around the bridge, taking in the wood base and metal beams. naturally, seungmin is the first to call out.

“are there any demons here? any demons out tonight? any horny boys or whatever—?”

“horny boys…?”

seungmin ropes in another goat reference. “they’ve got horns!” 

it pains hyunjin quite a bit to see them go through all of this trouble and gain nothing from it. changbin would get a kick out of this though, reveling in their ignorance and enjoying the attention. depending on what they do, he might just try to kill them. hyunjin never can tell.

when jeongin takes his turn, he’s a lot more serious with the investigation. “make your presence known. say something.” the silence continues, so he tries again, “why are you on this bridge?”

_because the river is a bitch_ , hyunjin wants to say, but he’s never been one for talking excessively— not even to changbin who smiles when he’s able to pull a full sentence out of him. 

being dead is actually quite exhausting, what with hyunjin’s lungs full of water, hands frigid and shaking. sometimes when hyunjin wakes at night his hair is wet and there isn’t enough air to do much at all, and he lays by the river and lets the water run over his hand. 

the river doesn’t deserve his life. neither does the bridge or the woods and the cultists that go there. neither do seungmin and jeongin with their ghost busting equipment or changbin, who really just wants someone to protect. 

“you ask questions,” jeongin mumbles, discouraged.

“why are you on this bridge?” he repeats.

dead silence.

jeongin shifts his weight, “you know, i’ve done some research of this place… and, i know something happened here, a long time ago. there was a boy named _hyunjin_ who died here. if you’re here, will you talk to us? will you show yourself to us?”

“just humor him,” seungmin adds. “c’mon, we don’t bite.”

“well, i don’t.”

the river is louder to hyunjin now, two forces trying to pull him apart, one to the living boys and the other to the water. he doesn’t want to go back to the water and he sputters, moving forward towards the pair. 

“why did you die?”

“seungmin, that’s insensitive— what the fuck is that?”

water pools at hyunjin’s feet, noticeably soaking the wood beneath him. it drips from places it hadn’t been before, from his clothes and his face and his hair. this has never happened before. no part of hyunjin has ever been seen by anyone. no one has asked of him. 

hyunjin feels like he’s underwater, jeongin’s panicked cursing muffled in his clogged ears. his vision is blurred and his throat is closing in on him. it feels like he’s being stabbed, but that’s too nice of a way to put the feeling shooting through his chest and pounding in his head.

even if he wants to say something, he can only spit up water, so he can’t answer them or even scream the way he would like. he doesn’t have the energy to do anything, so hyunjin collapses on the bridge in front of seungmin and jeongin’s blurry faces. instead of feeling the wood slam against his body, it’s more like floating in a river. like he’s drowning. 

but hyunjin is already dead. there’s no darkness waiting to dull the pain. it’s just suffering, unable to do anything but drown repeatedly.

“i think i heard a splash—“

seungmin genuinely sounds astonished, “i just got fucking chills, it’s so cold all of a sudden. ‘innie, look— goosebumps.”

“aren’t you fucking terrified?” the other shrieks, voice hopping at least one octave.

hyunjin chokes, his lungs burning, another spurt of water falling to the wood. another yell breaks the air, seungmin laughing. it hurts. it _hurts._

“hyunjnnie! hyunjin!”

changbin has never sounded so desperate. for a fleeting moment, he’s more like an angel than a demon coming to rescue him, gripping him and pulling him away from the living boys.

gradually, what breath he has returns to him, though he sputters and coughs and retches. but soon he’s calling him stupid again, even as he apologizes and proceeds to resuscitate a _ghost_.

when the ghost’s vision finally clears, changbin is the face he sees leaning over him. his brows are furrowed in concern, colored eyes scanning his features. hyunjin doesn’t think he’s ever seen him look so vulnerable. 

“you’re lucky i’m a demon, ‘jinnie,” he quips, disguising his worry as contempt. “they don’t know what they’re doing with, it’s a good thing i heard them. how could you be so dumb, reaching out to them? that’s not why you’re here.”

_then why am i?_

hyunjin fears it impossible to convey this with just his expression, but he tries anyway. if changbin understands he only addresses it by saying, “it’s over now. you shouldn’t let it happen again.”

if the demon hadn’t intervened, he may have been that way for the rest of the night, unable to move or fight against the agony of his death.

“think it was the demon?” seungmin questions out of nowhere, unaware of the other two.

jeongin’s voice shakes. “i don’t think so. it m-must have been, you know, _hyunjin._ ”

“goatman!” seungmin exclaims, ramping up the theatrics for jeongin who curses. “you feel that? you feel that goatman energy now?”

the other whimpers. “i don’t like when you say his name—“ 

“feel some goat vibes?” 

although there is plenty of energy circulating the area, hyunjin isn’t sure what _goatman vibes_ are supposed to feel like. he’s only seen like, three goats in twenty-plus years. but maybe that’s just him. he doesn’t move very far, anyway. maybe it’s the cultists that scare them away.

he sits up slowly, acutely aware of changbin beside him, heat radiating from his form. he’s mad. 

“you may not like this, but i’m going to try and agitate it. i’m just gonna be as crude as possible, here.”

noticing seungmin’s plans, changbin smirks. hyunjin wishes he could know what he’s thinking, but the ghost is at a loss. it’s nothing good at all and he almost opens his mouth to protest, but nothing comes of it. it’s not his place to question. 

“you do what you gotta do, and i’ll do what i gotta do,” jeongin allows, taking a large step back.

seungmin leans back. “ _fuck you_ , goatman!” he roars.

hand clenching, changbin seethes but stays still.

“holy _shit!_ i thought you were going to build your way up but—“

“no, no, no, right out of the gate. why build up?”

“if you don’t believe, then there’s nothing for you to be afraid of, right? you can be as big of a prick as you want!” jeongin accuses him, rightfully fearing for both of their lives once more. he takes another large step. “i think i’ll stand over here.”

suddenly seungmin jumps back and forth in full taunt, “goatman, i’m dancing on your bridge, it’s my bridge now! you hear that?” changbin grumbles in response. “if you want me off this bridge, you’re gonna have to kill me!”

changbin is happy to oblige, muttering something about an open invitation as his already maroon eyes burn more intensely than before, making himself known to the pair. 

before hyunjin can leap from his place to stop him, changbin dashes forward, shoving seungmin backwards as jeongin screams. 

all at once, hyunjin’s invisible hand grasps for changbin’s, his lungs drowning at the physical effort and fear. jeongin’s hand flies to his belt and they both realize they’ve made a mistake, but the pistol is out faster than the demon can process. 

the holy water serves its purpose, changbin howling as his irises dim and he stumbles back in pain. 

when hyunjin calls for him, it’s only a strangled sob. 

“get off! get off of my bridge!” the demon warns, voice clear to the living boys. “leave us alone!”

even though they have literally been encountered with a demon, seungmin thumps his chest, “you’re going to have to throw me off this bridge yourself!”

jeongin tries to prevent him from saying things that he’ll regret, “no! he’s done that before!”

“look at the way i dance on it, i disrespect your bridge, goatman! this is _my_ bridge, now. they’re going to write _my_ name in graffiti; children will come here and tell tales of _me!_ ”

“fuck you!”

“fuck _you_!”

changbin’s eyes blaze again, and for the first time he truly lets himself go. jeongin’s already crying as the demon bares his pointed canines. the undertones in his skin glow warm. it’s _terrifying_.

hyunjin is sure that changbin isn’t completely aware of himself or the cameras that both of them have. he’s blinded by rage brought on by his protectiveness. 

because seungmin and jeongin called out to him, hyunjin was in pain. although changbin was able to help him with his abilities, it had triggered something he almost couldn’t stop.

and now they were going to pay. 

as changbin lets out a very inhuman sound, seungmin stands his ground with defiant tears in his eyes. “fight me!”

“‘minnie, stop!” jeongin leaps forward, taking hold of his friend’s arm and pointing the water gun at changbin. “back off! b-both of you!”

quick to relent, seungmin comes out of his defensive stance, supporting a trembling jeongin. he still glares at the demon, but it’s less heated than before. 

seeing this as an opportunity, hyunjin drags himself over to changbin. he grasps for his clothing and pulls to get his attention. it works, and when he looks at hyunjin, soaked and begging, his aggression is toned back.

the living boys meant nothing when they conducted their investigation. they’re just looking for a little proof, and they have it now. they’ve been respectful enough so this isn’t what they deserve. it wasn’t their _fault_.

“please don’t do this,” hyunjin whispers. 

changbin turns to the two across the bridge, glaring harshly. the authority is felt through his appearance rather than his voice. “get off my bridge. _now._ if this exchange is released, i _will_ kill you.”

“yes,” jeongin cries. “yes mr. demon, sir, we understand.” and although seungmin wants to stay he’s pulled away, the two quickly running off the bridge and back from where they first came.

“they won’t bother us,” changbin resolves, kneeling down to hyunjin’s level. “don’t worry about them, ‘jinnie.”

his voice is fragile, “what did they see?”

“me. i had to let them, or else they wouldn’t have left us. they saw the water, too. i don’t think they saw you, though. that doesn’t happen often.”

hyunjin nods. they must have been scared, especially jeongin.he was just curious and so young, too. hyunjin didn’t like to see him cry so desperately.

the rest of the night is quiet.

changbin stays in the woods, coming out only to check on hyunjin every few hours. but hyunjin is fine now, and he doesn’t stay anything when the demon brushes back his wet hair to ask how he feels. the ghost finds that he can’t look him in the eye.

when the sun rises changbin holds hyunjin’s hand, the ghost running his other through the river currents whispering his name. he leaves for another day, but he knows that he’ll wake again as night comes. 

every night after that, when someone calls hyunjin’s name, he listens to the river and stays below the bridge to wait, feet submerged in the icy water. 

**Author's Note:**

> this came about so quickly and i'm not sure what to make of it, but i'm happy to have another ghost!skz addition. i'd be happy to hear what y'all think !!


End file.
